Roadbed maintenance is an ongoing operation in all mines. Stopes, level haulage drifts, ramps etc. all must be leveled to provide an appropriate platform for operations.
With increased interest in automated, trackless mining, haulage roadways have become critical. With respect to automated transports, the tram rate is dependent upon the speed that can be attained and the load capacity of the vehicles.
Drift profiling machinery exists for soft rock mining operations, such as potash fields. However, these devices are not suitable for hardrock applications.
There is an increasing need for an apparatus that will efficiently profile a hardrock roadbed.